I'm your daughter
by AAB
Summary: Mac gets an unexpected visitor and that brings Harm back to an important person in his past.
1. Chapter 1 - Accusation

**I'm your daughter  
**

 _ **Chapter 1 – Accusation  
**_

 _Mac's place  
_ "Good afternoon," Mac said to the young lady standing on her doormat. "What can I do for you?"  
The woman, not more than a girl, was wrapped in a plastic raincoat and held her head low. Now she looked up to see Mac in the eye and Mac gasped. The girl had dark hazelnut eyes, an olive skin tone and long straight dark brown hair. It was as if she looked into a mirror. Into a mirror of about 20 years back, that is. She stumbled back a step.  
"Can I … can I come in?" the girl stammered.  
"Yes, of course," Mac stepped back and the girl entered.  
"Can I take your coat?"  
Mutely the girl shrugged off the wet plastic and handed it to Mac. The concealing cover now gone Mac could see they even had the same figure.  
"Won't you sit down?"  
Still silent the girl did as she was bid.  
"Can I get you something?" Mac needed a little time to compose herself, but the girl shook her head.  
Both women sat and stared at each other until finally Mac said "Who are you?" To her own irritation her voice wasn't as steady as she would have liked it.  
"I'm Lacey McKinneck and I think you're my mother."  
Mac gasped. Somehow she had seen this coming, but to hear it out of the mouth of a girl who could indeed be her daughter …  
"Why do you think so?"  
The girl got angry. "Don't you see?! Just look into the mirror!"  
Slowly Mac shook her head. "I can see we look very much the same, in fact when I remember the pictures from when I was your age, nineteen, twenty?" She looked questioning at the young woman.  
"Nineteen, and don't act like you don't know that!" The brown eyes in front of her spat fire.  
"When I remember pictures of myself at nineteen we could have been identical twins," Mac finished her sentence. "But I'm not your mother. I never had a child."  
"Don't lie to me! You know you are."  
"I'm not lying," Mac repeated quietly  
"I have proof." The girl dug into the large handbag she had been clutching and produced a handful of papers. Amongst it were several legal papers from a firm called Peters & Co. Unfortunately the address lines were cut off and some names were blackened out. Enough was legible though to see it was about the adoption of a baby girl by Mr and Ms McKinney in September 1984.  
Mac scrutinized all the papers, but came up with little more.  
"This confirms you're adopted, but nothing to prove who your birthmother is," she pointed out, giving them back to the girl.  
A rap on the door and the sound of a key turning in a lock prevented the girl from answering. In came Harm.  
At the sight of the girl his eyes widened.  
"Who do we have here?" he asked.  
"I'm Lacey McKinneck and I'm her daughter! And you are?"  
"I'm Harmon Rabb and Mac and I are engaged."  
"Seems your fiancée forgot to tell you something."  
Non-understanding Harm looked at Mac.  
"Lacey here is adopted and now looking for her birthmother. She thinks I gave birth to her 19 years ago."  
"That's right," Lacey agreed angrily. "She is my birthmother and she'd better admit it."  
Mac shook her head. "I am not. And I would never keep information like that from you, Harm."  
"Liar," the girl hissed under her breath while al but tossing the papers she still held in her hands to Harm. "Look!"  
Like his fiancée moments earlier Harm carefully read but couldn't help coming to the same conclusion. The paperwork confirmed Lacey was adopted by the McKinneck family, but there was no clue who her birth parents were.  
"Lacey, I am sorry, but this doesn't proof Mac is related to you."  
"Then look again. And don't play innocent for I'm not going away!"  
"We are both lawyers and …" Harm started, but he was cut short.  
"So now I supposed to get scared?" Lacey snorted  
"No, I just want you to know we know how it works." Harm was determined not to let the young woman under his skin. He understood her confusion and realised getting angry was probably the only way she could keep it together.  
"I'm sure Mac is fully willing to go with a DNA-test," he continued. "We can provide you with some addresses, but we are happy for you to find a firm yourself."  
"I will do that!" The girl rose to her feet. "I'll be in touch!" She turned on her heel and strode out of the apartment, grabbing her coat in passing.

 _Ten days later  
_ Ten days later there was a letter from a laboratory. Mac was expected to come in and give a sample of her DNA.  
In the meantime Harm had talked to their CO and although at first Mac wasn't completely happy with it, she soon had realized it was the smartest thing to do. AJ Chegwidden kept a tight rein, but was always prepared to help if necessary. But he did like to be kept in the loop. Mac clearly remembered the time she had tried to to solve things on her own and had failed. Back then the Admiral had been more angry and disappointed that she hadn't come to him than about the way she had screwed up the situation.  
The Admiral just had listened carefully. He trusted his subordinates and had only asked to be informed if any new developments occurred.  
A few days later Mac dropped by the clinic and sample of saliva was taken from her. It would take about 2 weeks for the results to come in.

 _Two weeks later  
_ Again there was a knock on the door and when Mac went to answer it, an almost triumphant Lacey burst into the room, waving a large envelope.  
"Now I have proof, "she declared.  
"Did you already read the letter?" Harm asked calmly.  
"No, but that will change nothing! She is my mother!" the girl fumed. Flopping down on a chair she tore open the envelope, snatched the contents out of it and started to read aloud.  
"In accordance with the valid rules we have compared the DNA-sample provided by Lacey McKinneck with that of Sarah McKenzie. It has been proven that Sarah McKenzie is not related to Lacey McKinneck."  
In shock Lacey went silent. She all but swooned on her chair. "Sarah McKenzie is _not_ related to Lacey McKinneck."  
Mac and Harm watched sympathetically  
Finally Lacey looked up and said "This can't be true."  
Mac crouched next to her.  
"I'm sorry, Lacey, but it's true. I'm not your mother."  
Devastated the girl hid her face in her hands.  
"It can't be," she choked out. "You have to be my mother."  
Sadly Mac shook her head.  
Harm went to make them a cup of tea and they waited till she had composed herself somewhat. After a while she said in a small voice "I'm so sorry. What must the two of you think of me?"  
Mac placed a reassuring hand on her arm. "Nothing bad, believe me. We understand you have been under a lot of stress and you sincerely believed I was your mother."  
The girl sobbed. Mac followed her instinct and when she folded the girl in her arms, Lacey started to cry softly.  
Once more it took Lacey a while to calm down, but then she accepted a second cup of tea from Harm and Mac was able to ask her the question which had haunted her for some time.  
"Why did you think I was your birthmother? I mean, how did you find me?"  
"A friend of mine works for the Archdiocese for the Military Services. One day she had to be at JAG and she saw you. She knew of my quest and since by the looks we could be mother and daughter …" she hung her head and looked glum. "Well, anyway, she asked who you were and used some contacts of hers to find out your address."  
Suddenly she looked concerned. "I'm so sorry, I know she isn't supposed to do that, but she just wanted to help me."  
"It's okay," Harm said calmly. "Just remind your friend she can get into trouble when she misuses her position."  
Lacey relaxed. Mac asked about her life and she was happy to share. It was almost ten when she said it was time for her to go. Harm and Mac didn't protest; they saw the girl was exhausted.  
"Your car is in the parking lot?" Harm asked.  
"No, I'll take the metro bus," Lacey answered.  
Mac frowned and Harm wasn't happy either.  
"I'll give you a ride home," he declared. Lacey looked like she wanted to protest, but then her shoulders slumped.  
"Thank you," she whispered.  
Harm went to get his keys and Mac gave Lacey a hug.  
"Stay in touch," she prodded and the girl nodded docilely.

 _Same evening  
_ They were sitting on the couch going over the day's events. Harm was talking.  
"There is another possibility, you know."  
Mac frowned.  
"Diane," Harm said softly. "My friend who was killed."  
"You mean Lacey is Diane Schonke's daughter?" Mac was quick to understand. She remembered the striking similarity between her and Harm's female friend who had been murdered several years before. Hadn't it been for her own intervention, Harm most likely would be doing time for murdering the perpetrator now.  
"Yes. Or a close relative."  
Mac nodded pensively. "That could well be. Do you want to tell Lacey?"  
Harm thought for a moment. "No, not yet," he decided. "I think it will be too much for her now. I'd rather go and conduct a little investigation myself. I still keep in touch with Diane's parents. Not much, exchanging Christmas cards and a card on Diane's birthday. I will call them and ask whether I can come over and talk. If it turns out Diane gave birth to her, it's early enough to tell her. I don't want her to face another disappointment. After all, if it was Diane, we also will have to tell her her mother is dead, murdered."


	2. Chapter 2 - Investigation

_**Chapter 2 - Investigating  
**_

 _Saturday evening  
Schonke residence  
_"Harmon, welcome. Good to see you," Mr Schonke welcomed him warmly. From out of the kitchen Mrs. Schonke appeared, a smile on her face. She carried a tray with coffee and cookies.  
Mr. Schonke showed Harm into the living and his wife poured coffee.  
The first fifteen minutes were spent catching up, but then the older man asked "Well, Harmon, you must have a reason to ask for us to meet you."  
"I have. I told you about Mac but I left one thing out: Mac and Diane look very much alike. In fact, so much they could have been identical twins."  
The older couple gasped.  
"She does?"  
"Yes."  
There was silence for a moment  
"Do you have pictures?" Mrs Schonke asked. There was a longing sound in her voice Harm didn't understand.  
"Yes." He took his briefcase, produced tree pictures of Mac and handed them to the woman She studied them intensely, stroking them with a forefinger.  
"This is how she might have looked now, our Diane," she sighed. Her man was emotional, too and Harm gave them time to recover.  
Finally she gave the photos back to Harm who put them in his briefcase again.  
"Right," Mr. Schonke resumed. "I guess this is important, your Mac and our Diane looking like twin sisters. But I don't understand …"  
"About six weeks ago Mac had a visitor, a young woman, about 19 years old. Her name was Lacey McKinneck. She told us she was adopted as a baby and claimed to be Mac's daughter. She had several documents and photo's with her to 'proof' her claim."  
Mrs Schonke paled and grabbed her husband's hand, holding on for dear life. The older man's face was tensed, like he was facing a blow he couldn't avoid.  
"Mac assured her she never had a child but the Lacey refused to believe her. So there was a DNA test which proved clearly Lacey is not related to Mac. Nevertheless they could be mother and daughter. Mac has moved a lot and not many mementoes of her youth survived but she has some pictures, taken at the same age Lacey is now. They look very much alike and it's easy to understand why Lacey thought Mac is her birthmother. Lacey has gone through a tough time. Her adoptive mum died three years ago of cancer and she and her father don't get along. Apparently it was always more her mother's wish to adopt. Now her investigation hits a dead end she is devastated."  
"So since Diane and Mac look the same as well you are here now to ask …"  
"Yes. I'm here to ask if it's possible that this young lady is related to your family."  
Abruptly Mrs. Schonke stood up and walked out of the room. Her husband hesitated whether to follow her, then thought different and turned to Harm.  
"You're right. That young lady could very well be our grandchild." He leaned back in his chair, taking a moment.  
"Diane was fifteen. It was rape, a date rape. The Pachners were friends of ours and their son seventeen year old Jeffrey a friend of Diane. Diane had a crush on him and they had dated a few times. Just innocent things, like going out for a movie and ice-cream or roller-skating. It happened after a birthday party of one of their friends." He stood and walked over to the side table and poured himself a drink. Questioning he held the bottle up to Harm but Harm shook his head in refusal.  
"In the days after that party Diane became alternating moody and withdrawn. We asked her what was wrong, but she told us nothing was. To be honest, we thought adolescent behaviour and since we ourselves were going through a tough time ourselves we … I think you can say we chose to believe her and closed our eyes for the truth. It was only four months later when she started to show we found out."  
"Did you go to court?" Harm wanted to know.  
"No. Diane didn't want to. She became hysteric when we suggested going to the police. She was terrified everyone would blame her and call her a slut." He took another gulp.  
"I have to say the Pachners couldn't have reacted more understanding and cooperative. They believed us and as soon as we told, they asked what they could do. Jeffrey was sent into counselling. He honestly had thought Diane wanted it, too. As I said, they dated. I don't want to trivialize of excuse his behaviour but he had one drink too many and misread the signals. He was devastated when he realised what he had done. He came over and begged for forgiveness, but Diane didn't want to see him."  
"What happened next?"  
"We discussed abortion but 'luckily', I have to say, it was too late for that. Neither we nor the Pachners were in favour of abortion, although had Diane wanted to abort the baby, we would have allowed. Instead she decided she wanted to give it up for adoption. We offered to keep the baby and take care of him or her - after all, it was our grandchild - and the Pachners did the same. But she was determined to give up the baby, preferably to a family in another state. She didn't want to …"  
"To run into the baby and its new family?"  
"Exactly. The adoption was arranged by a small lawyers office. All legal. The Pachners paid for it all. As I said, we were struggling at that time and one of the reasons was that my business was doing poorly. I was at risk to go bankrupt and the stress had its effects on our marriage. I don't know whether I would have been able to pay for the medical care and counselling Diane needed. They also paid the legal fees, only demanding their son's name would be on the birth certificate so the baby would be able to find them, would she or he go and look for his birth family." He ran his hand over his face.  
"In hindsight, the care for our daughter saved our marriage. It made us get our priorities straight again. After the baby was born, it was adopted right away. We never saw it, only knew it was a girl."  
"Do the Pachners still live here?"  
"No, they moved to Missouri a few months later. A cousin of hers is still living in the neighbourhood, though. I guess I can get their address."  
"That would be nice. We will have to do some DNA testing and I want that done before we tell Lacey. As I said, she was devastated when she found out Mac wasn't her birthmother and now we have to tell her her real birthmother has died. She is fragile; we have to proceed with care. If you can't get the Pachner's address, I think Bud can."  
"Bud?"  
"Bud Roberts is a co-worker and friend of ours, very skilled with computers and he has access to databases the general public hasn't."  
Now Mrs. Schonke entered the room again. She had a folder in her hand and clearly had been crying.  
"You told the whole story?" she asked her man, who nodded affirmatively.  
"I'm sorry," she apologised to Harm. "It's still a raw spot in our hearts and I couldn't bring myself to listen to the story all over."  
"Don't worry," Harm smiled. "I understand."  
Mrs. Schonke handed him the folder. "These are the papers of the adoption," she told him. "Maybe they help you."  
Harm took and quickly scanned them. Then he grabbed his own folder with the paperwork Lacey had provided them with and compared.  
"They match," he declared "Except Lacey's copy with the names of the birth parents was altered. The names were blackened out. I guess her parents didn't want her to know or they never knew themselves. Although her father didn't want to adopt, Lacey told us he is not happy with her searching for her birthparents either."  
"What's happening next?" Mr. Schonke wanted to know.  
"I like you to give a DNA sample. Lacey is already tested so it shouldn't take long to find out whether she is your granddaughter. If you can find out where the Pachners live now I will contact them with the same question."  
" I'll do that right away," Mr. Schonke decided, phone already in his hand. He talked with the man at the other side of the line for a few minutes before laying the receiver down again.  
"He will go and find the address and will call back in a few minutes," he told Harm. "In the meantime, let's have a drink."  
True to his word the cousin rang back within ten minutes and provided Mr. Schonke with the wanted address which Harm wrote down.  
"This week I'll contact the Pachners. Do I have your permission to give them your contact details, in case they want to know more?"  
"Off course."  
"When do we have to give our DNA samples?" his wife wanted to know.  
"You can do that now. I have cotton sticks."  
"We will. When will the results be in?"  
"That will take 2-3 weeks." 

It took a bit more to convince Mr Pachner. Only when Harm told them they could contact Mr and Mrs Schonke, the man reluctantly agreed to a see Harm. Since Mr Pachner had to be in Washington a week later, they scheduled a meeting.  
So a week later Harm walked into the café they had agreed on meeting in.  
Sensing he had to be to the point Harm quickly gave him a summary of the events.  
Mr Pachner nodded slowly. "You have to understand, it was a black period in our and Jeffrey's life. To learn your son is capable of raping his girlfriend. We did our best to make good on what he did but we understood Diane's point of view. For her sake we moved shortly after the baby was born and built up a new life somewhere else." The waiter approached with coffee and he went silent. The men drank their coffee and Harm waited for Mr Pachner to start talking again.  
"You might know we offered to take the baby in?"  
"Yes. And I also know you paid for Dianna's care and the legal costs."  
"How is she now?"  
"Sir, I'm sorry I have to tell you but Diane is dead."  
The other man gasped. "Dead? Why? How? An accident? Or was she ill?"  
"She was murdered, about five years ago."  
The shock was clearly visible on the man's face. Harm beckoned the waiter for a second round of coffee and gave Mr Pachner time to recover.  
"What happened? And what is your connection with Diane?"  
"Diane and I met at the U.S. Naval Academy. We became good friends. Just friends. More intimate relations are not allowed at the Academy. Next to that, we were not sure about it; the chemistry didn't seem right. After we graduated we were sent to different places. But we stayed in touch, mostly by letters. In June 1996 her ship was due to be back in port and we had a date scheduled. We were to discuss whether to bring our relation to the next level or stay just friends, but it didn't happen. When I arrived she wasn't there and the next day her body was found."  
"Did they find the killer?"  
"Yes, eventually. At first I was the main suspect but I was able to prove my innocence. At that time the investigation hit a dead end. It wasn't until I reread her letters that I realised who the real killer was. I went to arrest him …" He waited a moment. 'Not really arrest him', he thought. At that time he had been ready to kill the man.  
"Mac went after me and, having been soaked by the rain she borrowed a uniform from a friend. A Navy uniform instead of a Marine's. I told you Diane and Mac look very much alike. The murderer thought Diane's ghost had come back to haunt him and in his fear he backed off and fell between the quay and the ship. He was crushed to death."  
The men were silent for a while until Mr Pachner asked "What's next?"  
"Sir, I hope your son is willing to cooperate to a DNA-test. Just to be sure. Then we will tell Lacey about her birthparents. As careful as possible; she is in a fragile state."  
"I already talked to Jeffrey; he is fully cooperating. But Lacey? Fragile, you said?"  
Harm shared whatever he knew.  
"If she wants, and is ready for it, we will be happy to welcome her into our family. But we won't put any pressure on her; it's all up to her."  
He reached for his briefcase and handed Harm an envelope. When Harm opened it he found a tube with a cotton stick."  
"My son's DNA," Mr Pachner stated simply.


	3. Chapter 3 - Meeting

_**Chapter 3 – Meeting  
**_  
It was two weeks later and the results of the three DNA-tests were in. Not surprisingly the results were that Lacey was indeed the biological child of Diane Schonke and Jeffrey Pachner.  
Now it was up to Harm and Mac to come up with a way to tell Lacey.  
They decided to invite her for coffee that Saturday evening and then Harm would slowly break the news. So a few days later there was knock on the door and Lacey walked in. She looked better than the last time they saw her. Apparently she had more or less dealt with the fact Mac wasn't her mother.  
After some catching up Mac tentatively asked.  
"Your search for you birthmother, are there any developments?"  
Lacey shook her head. "No," she said. "I decided to table it for now. I needed time to come to terms that you're not my mother." She looked at Mac. "I would have liked you as my mum,' she whispered.  
"I'm sure you would have made a wonderful daughter," Mac smiled warmly.  
"And I ran out of clues. I tried to google for the law firm, but not knowing which state to look in, it's not much use. Next to that, it's 19 years ago. There is always the possibility the firm is out of business by now. I asked my dad whether he has more paperwork, I still don't have my original birth certificate, but he says he hasn't any. I don't know whether to believe him ..." She sighed. "But for now I have to accept that."  
Harm stood and went for a second round of coffee, once more pondering his next move.  
"I like to share a story with you,' he said, sitting down again.  
"Some years ago, when I was at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, I had a very good friend: Diane. We didn't date; romantic relations between students are forbidden, but we were very close. After we graduated we kept in contact, mainly by letter. Five years ago her ship was due to come home and we had a date scheduled. In fact, it was meant to decide whether to bring our relation to the next level or to just stay friends. I was there, but she didn't turn up. The next day her body was found; my friend had been killed."  
"I'm sorry," Lacey said, confused. " But what does that have to do …?"  
Harm swallowed. "Diane and Mac looked exactly the same."  
He saw understanding and realisation dawn in Lacey's eyes. She jumped to her feet.  
"You mean, your friend Diane could be my mother. And she was killed!?"  
Harm nodded "Yes."  
Lacey paced the room, to upset to sit. When she finally took her seat again, she demanded more information.  
"Are you sure she is my mum? Do you know whether she had a child? How old was she? Do I have more family? Grandparents? Uncles and aunts? Do you know who my father is? Who killed her?"  
Harm did his best to answer her questions.  
"She never told me about a baby, but I contacted her parents, who are still alive. They confirmed Diane had a baby girl. She was an only child so there are no uncles or aunts. She would have been 35 by now."  
"That means she was 16 when she had me … if she is my mother." Lacey was stunned. "Is that why she gave me up for adoption? Because she was so young? But her parents … Didn't they help? Did they kick her out? And my father?"  
Mac tried to calm the exited girl down.  
"Take a breath. Harm will tell you in a minute."  
There was something in her look which had the girl suddenly on high alert. She looked at Harm for confirmation and found the same almost piteous look in his eyes. She gasped.  
"She was raped, right?! She was raped! She didn't want me for she was raped!" Sadly Harm nodded.  
Lacey choked back a sob and hid her face in her hands .

They sat in silence for a while until Lacey looked up again.  
"Tell me," she demanded. "Tell me everything!"  
"When you left a few weeks back, after the results of your and Mac's DNA-tests were in, Mac and I had a long conversation. I already suspected you might be Diane's daughter, but didn't want to run ahead. Over the years I kept in touch with Mr and Mrs Schonke and now I called them to schedule a meeting. I asked them whether Diane had a child and they had to admit she had a baby-girl when she was sixteen."  
Slowly, frequently waiting to give Lacey the opportunity to let his words sink in, he told her Diane's story.  
Then he awaited her next questions.  
"What did my … my … my grandparents say?"  
"They look forward to meet you very much. As I said, it was Diane's wish to have you adopted; they were prepared to raise you themselves."  
"Do I have siblings?"  
"Yes, Diane never had another child, but Jeffrey married and has a son age nine and a daughter age seven."  
"Do they know about me?"  
"No. Telling your kids you once raped a girl and made her pregnant is not a thing a man likes to do. However, his wife knows. He told her a long time ago, before they were married."  
He stood to retrieve an envelope from his desk.  
"After I got the results back, I notified Mr and Mrs Pachner and Jeffrey Pachner as well. He sent me this letter. It contained a short letter to me and a letter to you, including some pictures of your father and his family." He pulled out a sealed envelope and handed it over to Lacey, but she didn't take it.  
"I don't know … Can you keep it for a while?" she said, biting her lower lip. Mac stood up and sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her. Lacey's lips started to tremble and then she was crying uncontrollably.

It had taken Lacey quite a while to calm down again. By then she was exhausted, both from the emotions and from crying. Knowing her roommate was out of town, Mac had decided not to let her go home alone, instead made the bed in the spare room and had her sleep over. Now it was close to midnight and she and Harm were sitting in front of the fire, enjoying a last drink.  
Mac sighed. "I don't know if you can say 'that went well'," she voiced her thoughts.  
"I would say it went as well as we could expect," Harm answered. "After all, it's not nothing to hear who your birthparents are, that you're conceived during a rape and that your mother has been murdered. I hope she goes into counselling, I don't know …"  
"She already is in counselling," Mac told him. "When I helped her into bed, she told me she is been seeing a psychologist for some weeks, in fact since we had to tell her she is not my child. She asked me to join her next week and tell the whole story. She doesn't feel able to do that herself now. I also told her her grandparents wrote her a letter as well, but she says she needs more time before reading it, so she asked us to keep that one as well for now. She wants us to contact them, though, and tell them she will be in touch soon."  
"I will call them tomorrow," Harm resolved.

 _The next day  
_ The next morning Lacey woke up a little embarrassed. When Mac came in with a tray with breakfast, she blushed and hid her face under the blanket.  
"Don't," Mac told her calmly. "We don't hold anything against you; it was a very emotional and stressful evening for you, hearing who your birthmother is and at the same time learning you're conceived by rape and that she was murdered."  
Lacey nodded, taking the mug of tea from her. Mac sat down with her coffee.  
"What do you want to do today? You know your grandparents sent you a letter as well."  
"I think I like to read that one. I know I said I wanted to wait, but … Do you think they will be mad when I don't want to meet them right away?" She sounded really concerned.  
"No," Mac soothed her. "Harm is going to call them today and explain you need a bit of time."

 _Two weeks later  
_ The next two weeks had been straining on Lacey. Although Mac had made her promise to stay in touch, she wasn't quite sure the girl would do, so she took it upon herself to call her a few times.  
As promised she had accompanied her to the psychologist and told her the whole story as well and a few extra appointments were scheduled.  
Since the girl still found it very hard to talk about it, Mac had informed Lacey's roommate Marylyn as well and Marylyn had promised to keep an eye on the confused girl and make sure she took care of herself.  
In the meantime Harm had contacted both the Schonkes and Mr Pachner, telling them Lacey now knew the whole story. Mr and Mrs Schonke were eager to meet her, but realised their granddaughter needed more time. They were very grateful Harm and Mac were taking care of her. Mr Pachner also indicated he and his son would wait for Lacey to contact them rather than taking any actions themselves. They had discussed telling Jack's children about their older sister, but had decided against it. They would only learn when Lacey decided to contact Jeffrey and wanted to meet his family.

On Friday evening there was a phone call. Mac took it.  
"Lacey," she said surprised. "How are you doing?"  
"Not too bad," the girl admitted shyly. "I think I'm ready for the next step. I want to meet my grandparents."  
"That's great," Mac reassured her warmly. "I'm sure they will be thrilled to meet you."  
By now Harm had laid his book and listened to the one-sided conversation.  
"But …" the girl hesitated.  
"Yes?"  
"I'm still a bit nervous about … well, you know, everything. Do you think … maybe Harm would come with me?" she asked hopefully.  
"I'm sure he will, but ask him yourself." Mac handed Harm the telephone. She left the room in order for them to talk freely. When she came back, Harm just put down the receiver.  
"I'll give Lacey a ride to her grandparents Sunday afternoon," he told her. "I'm going to call the Schonkes now to make sure they will be home."

 _Sunday afternoon  
_ "Don't you come with us?" Lacey asked Mac, a bit surprised.  
"No. Remember, I look very much like your mother. Your grandparents haven't seen me, yet. It's emotional enough to meet you; they don't need a confrontation with their deceased daughter's lookalike."  
Lacey nodded, realizing she was right. Mac gave the girl a hug and stepped back, seeing the car drive off.  
During the trip Harm tried to make a bit of conversation, but Lacey was too nervous. Despite Harm and Mac's reassurance her grandparents would welcome her with open arms she was afraid for what was to come.  
"Will you stay?" she suddenly asked.  
"If that's what you want?" Harm didn't want to intrude.  
"Yes, please?"

 _Sunday afternoon  
Schonkes' residence_  
It was not long before Harm turned into the quiet neighbourhood and parked the car in front of the medium sized two-story house. By the sudden movement of the curtains he could see someone had been standing on the lookout, but it wasn't before they climbed the three steps up to the porch that the door went open.  
Both Mr and Mrs Schonke stood in the door frame, visibly nervous. For long moments both parties just stood and looked at each other till Mr Schonke croaked "Come in."  
Like he had done weeks before he showed them into the living, while his wife went to get the tea. But as soon as she entered the spacious sunny room, Lacey gasped and fell dead in her steps. The room was dominated by the large portrait of Diane, hanging over the fire place.  
"My mother," she whispered. Slowly, with stiff legs, she walked over and ran her fingertips over the surface.  
In the hallway Harm saw Mrs Schonke emerge from the kitchen, carrying a tray.  
"Let me take that," he said and took it out of her hands.  
With a tilt of his head he indicated her to go first. When she saw her granddaughter standing in front of her mother's portrait, looking so much alike, she covered her mouth with her hands and Harm heard her sharp intake of breath.  
Lacey heard it, too, and turned around. And then the two women, grandmother and granddaughter, were in each other's arms, both crying. For a moment Mr Schonke stood still, then he joined the women, wrapping his arms around both. The twitching around his mouth betrayed how hard he tried not to burst out in tears himself.  
Harm placed the tray on the table and took the liberty to sit down. Sometime later the Schonkes and Lacey did the same.  
Mr Schonke shook his head almost in disbelief. "You look so much like your mother,' he sighed.  
Lacey bit her lips.  
"Tell me about her."  
"She was the light of our life. I had trouble conceiving, so Diane was our only child. She was not much a girlie-girl; she liked to play outside, race her bike, shoot hoops. She played baseball, until ..."  
"Until she became pregnant?" Lacey asked.  
"Yes. She helped coaching a little league team. She loved baseball."  
Harm nodded; Diane had been an avid player during their time on the Academy.  
"We have lots of photo's we can show you." He made mime to rise and get them.  
Lacey hesitated and Harm stepped in.  
"I think we should do that at a later time. I'm sure Lacey would love to see them, but this time is very emotional for her, for the three of you and I think we should take it one step at the time."  
"Of course, love," Mrs Schonke was quick to agree. "We can do it exactly the way you like it. We are so happy to have you here and we hope it's not the last time we see you."  
"It won't!" Lacey reacted fiercely. "I'm also very, very happy to have found my birth family and I plan to be around a lot. But Harm is right. I feel better when we take things a bit more slowly."  
Her grandmother gave her a hug. Then she continued telling.  
"Diane never loved the soft and pastel colours. When she was little, the main colours in her room were bright yellow and green. Later it became ochre and brick red. It's still there; we couldn't make ourselves to change it. Besides, we didn't need the space."  
"Despite her love for the outdoors, she loved reading. Nancy Drew was her favourite when she was young. Later she turned to the more 'old fashioned' detectives, like Agatha Christy. She never liked the blood and so, she preferred the psychological hunt for the killer. Miss Marple was her favourite and another English writer, Patricia Wenthworth with Miss Silver as main character. She put quite a lot of time in completing her collection. Next to that she loved to read biographies."  
Lacey nodded. "I love to read as well. And I love crafting."  
Mrs Schonke beamed.  
"I do, too. Diane didn't. I always dreamed of a daughter to craft together, but, when it wasn't to be, I hoped for a granddaughter. Maybe we can make somethings together."  
"I'd love to. I'm sure you can teach me a lot."  
Mrs Schonke rose to pour a fresh round of tea and served a piece of cherry pie.  
"Home made," she told. "I love to cook as well. Often Diane helped me, although she was more into baking. This was her favourite."  
"I like to cook, but I'm not good at it. My roommate Marylyn and I take turns is preparing dinner."  
"Tell us some about yourself," her grandfather requested.  
"Well, you know I'm 19 and born February 19th. William and Betty McKinneck adopted me straight away. We lived in a small town in New England. I went to school there and later to secondary school. When I was twelve, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was treated but the cancer came back and when I was sixteen she passed away. I only learned I was adopted shortly before my mother died." Suddenly she looked a bit glum. "I mean, I know Diane was my mother, but …"  
"It's okay," both the elderly people told her simultaneously. "We are fine with you calling your adoption parents mum and dad and your birth parents Diane and Jeff."  
For a second Lacey pulled a face at the hearing of Jeff's name, but she didn't comment.  
"After mum's death my dad and I … well, I think you can say we lost each other in the process of mourning. He started dating again only three months later and I thought it way to early. I couldn't understand how he could forget so soon? Now I can see some people are not meant to be alone. It also turned out adoption had been more my mother's wish than his. It was a relief to both of us that I graduated and left for college."  
"And now?" her grandfather wanted to know." How is your relation now?"  
"It's going better. I like his current lady friend. But he is not keen on me trying to contact my birth families and that causes strain again. Maybe now I have found you, he will accept."  
"What are you doing now?"  
"I live and study in Washington. I have a roommate, Marylyn. We get along very well. I have some other friends, but not someone special. I study sociology, but since this whole process took so much energy, I might put that on halt for a while. As I said I love to read and craft and my therapist encourages me to make something, a work of art, put something in writing, whatever, to process this whole ... well, everything that has happened. I kept a diary for a while, but it wasn't really my thing. I guess I have to find something else for I think she is right. Making something helps to get things out of your head, so you're not keep mulling."  
Harm had to bit back a smile; he was all too familiar with that.  
Mrs Schonke plucked a photo from the mantle and showed it to her newfound granddaughter. "This is Diana in third grade. Back then she loved working with clay. Maybe that's something you would enjoy." For a moment Lacey looked at them with intense attention, but then she returned it with a vague smile.  
"There are lots more," her grandmother told her. "As soon as you feel ready, I'll show them. I will have copies made if you want some. And her room is still more or less the same as when she left for the Academy."  
Lacey leaned back into the cushions. Suddenly she looked exhausted.  
"I think it's better to save that for the next time," Harm voiced his opinion once again. "Now you have found each other I'm sure Lacey will visit lots of times."  
Lacey nodded her agreement, both with the suggestion to leave the room and the rest of the photo's to another time as to his comment about visiting.  
"That's fine with us, darling," her grandfather reassured her. "Whatever is best for you."  
Mrs Schonke asked tentatively "You look tired. We don't want to kick you out, but maybe … when you prefer to go home now, we won't be angry."  
"Yes, please. It's just a bit ... overwhelming."  
Her grandmother patted her hand. "Sweetheart, we understand."  
They rose. Lacey looked at Harm.  
"Can I have a moment alone with my grandparents, please?"  
"Of course," he said and left the room, to wait in the hallway.  
A few minutes later he was joined by Lacey and Mrs and Mr Schonke and they said their goodbyes.  
"We hope this wasn't the last time we saw you either, Harmon. You're always welcome."  
"We stay in touch," Harm promised. To be honest, he too was ready to go. Watching Diane's portrait and hearing her parents tell about her had been straining on him as well. He held the car door for Lacey and with a final wave they were on their way back home. The elderly couple followed the car with their eyes till it turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.


	4. Chapter 4 - Aftermath

_**Chapter 4 –**_ **Aftermath  
**

 _Mac's place  
Sunday evening  
_Mac and Harm enjoyed a quiet evening together. He had been very subdued the days before and Mac hadn't asked, knowing he had to figure out things and would tell her at his own time. Finally he started to talk.  
"I think about her. Diane, I mean. Actually, a lot lately." He looked a bit shy to Mac, but she just smiled. She had guessed it was Diane.  
"That's okay. It's just natural the recent events stirred a lot of old memories." She motioned him to sit with her.  
"It were also the questions Lacey asked me," Harm confessed, sitting down next to her.  
"What did she ask then?"  
"Last week when I drove her back from her grandparents, she started questioning me about my relation with Diane. She wondered whether, if Diane had kept her and she and I had started a relation, would I have been her stepdad or would having a child been a deal breaker for me? Things like that."  
"What did you say?" Mac now was both understanding and curious.  
"I told her I didn't think Diane would have enlisted, if she had a child at home so we probably never would have met. Then I said I never wanted children to suffer because of the choices their parents make and if Diane and I had decided to give it a go, any child of hers would have been a part of the package."  
Mac nodded. She knew how passionate he was about protecting children.  
"And I told her about Annie and Josh, that he was like a son to me and that I really missed him when Annie broke up our relation."  
Mac took his hand. "You did good," she reassured him. He didn't look happier though, just slumped a bit more back in the couch.  
"It made me wonder, though."  
"About what," Mac asked when he failed to continue.  
"About … we were such good friends. Diane and I. I felt like we knew each other's whole lives. But she never told me about having been pregnant and the baby and the adoption. Why couldn't she tell me? Maybe I wasn't such a good friend after all. Maybe if I …"  
"Stop that," Mac ordered. "There could be numerous reasons not to tell and none of them has to be your responsibility or fault. Maybe it was just too painful to tell about the rape and the adoption. You must realise she was a traumatized kid back then and you prosecuted and defended enough rape-cases to know how difficult it is for women to talk about having been sexually assaulted. Or maybe she was afraid to be judged for giving up her baby or to be the subject of gossip."  
Harm didn't look convinced.  
"Harm, I'm sure she would have told you if the two of you had decided to become an item."  
She brought her hands to his face and forced him to look at her.  
"Remember what her roommate said. Your letters meant a lot to her. _You_ meant a lot to her."  
Slowly he nodded.  
"Have you ever been …" he asked suddenly.  
"Had a baby? Was pregnant? No. Unless …" she felt silent.  
"Unless?" Harm asked after a while.  
"Did you know the greater majority of pregnancies is aborted. Spontaneously, I mean. Estimates go up to 50% in the first weeks. That means either the woman doesn't even know she was pregnant or assumes she is just a few days late. When I was about the same age as Diane, about 16, I … well, I already drank too much and I had unprotected sex a few times with 'boyfriends'."  
Harm nodded; he was aware of her past although she never had gone into details.  
"Once my period was really late, but before I had bought a pregnancy test it came, so I didn't think much of it. Now I think I might have been pregnant back then."  
Harm nodded again.  
"How come you know so much about pregnancies?" he wanted to know.  
"I read about it."  
"Since when?"  
"Some time ago."  
"Maaccc," Harm exaggerated her name and she knew he wouldn't let the subject go.  
"Actually since our baby deal." She shrugged like it was no big deal.  
Harm swallowed; he hadn't seen this coming.  
"I wanted it so much," Mac whispered. "Even though I knew it was probably not going to happen, I couldn't keep myself from dreaming."  
Harm pulled her in a tight embrace.  
"We will have our baby, my love. You have to believe me, even though it might have seemed a spur of the moment proposal, I meant it. I wanted it, too!" He kissed her tenderly. "We will be married in two months; why don't you stop taking the pill by then and we start working on a child right away?"  
Mac clasped her arms around his neck.  
"I love you. "She looked at him pleadingly. "I was to get a new supply of the pill two weeks before our wedding day."  
Harm laughed. "Okay, you finish this supply and then …"  
Their lips found each other in a passionate kiss.

 _A week later,  
Mac's apartment  
_Sitting at the table Mac was busy writing the envelopes for the wedding invitations when the phone rang. She went to answer.  
"Hi Lacey, how are you?"  
"I'm fine. Counselling is going well and I eat and sleep a lot better.  
"And the contact with your grandparents?" Mac wanted to know.  
"Great. In fact, that's why I have to ask you a favour. Do you think Harm would be help me move?"  
"I guess so, but what …?"  
"It's not too far. Just to my grandparents in Springfield. I am going to live with them for a while."  
"You're quitting your study?" Mac asked surprised.  
"No, not really. Just put it off for a year. These last months have been so emotional I hardly studied and I will have to redo this year anyhow. The day before yesterday I had a meeting with my study advisor. We agreed it would be better for me to take some time off and start afresh in September again. Yesterday I discussed it with grandma and granddad and they offered me a home for the next months. We still have so much to catch up on. I will also have a small day job. Granddad has a friend who runs a bookshop and he offered me a part-time job. I can save some money for college next year."  
"What does your dad think?"  
"He is not too happy with it, but he understands and accepts my decision. I will continue having counselling and we scheduled a couple of family meetings. But do you think Harm …?"  
"I'm sure he is happy to help you, if he can. When do you plan to move?"  
"This weekend, if that's possible. Marylyn is going on an internship next week for four months in Alabama and she can sublet her apartment for that time."  
"Big changes," Mac commented. "I'll ask Harm as soon as he is home and make him call you back this evening."  
"Thank you very much."

 _Sunday afternoon  
Schonkes' residence_  
"I'm very happy to have both of you here, Harm," Mr Schonke said, pouring Harm a well-earned beer and Mac a glass of soda. "Not only because of your help with moving Lacey, but also because everything the two of you did in the previous months."  
"It was nothing," Harm started to protest, but his host cut him short.  
"It might not seem much to you, but it meant the world to us. You gave us back our granddaughter. You brought new meaning to our lives. You might have noticed Diane's portrait was not present the first time you visited us." He took a sip of his beer.  
"It was too painful. A friend of ours painted it a few weeks after her death and gave it to us, but we soon realised neither of us could bear to look at it. So we stored it. It was only after you told us Diane's daughter was searching for her, we decided to give it the place it deserved again."  
His wife joined him on the couch.  
"There is something else we want to discuss or rather, tell you. You know Diane was a keen letter writer."  
Harm nodded; he and Diane had exchanged numerous letters.  
"In fact, I believe it was after rereading hers you got the idea who her killer was, didn't you?"  
"That is true. In one of her letters she complained about a Lieutenant Lamb who was sexually harassing her. She reported it to her CO, Commander Holbarth, but he didn't take action, so she wrote him a letter telling him she would report higher. That's why Holbarth decided to kill her. When I reread her letters, I found the copy of that letter and realised he had a motive. After that … well, that's history." It was clear he didn't want to dwell on that now.  
"Right. Well, next to not looking at her portrait, we didn't reread her letters. They were in a box in her old room. But now we went and looked for them. We wanted to be able to tell our new-found granddaughter as much as possible, also about Diane's time at the Academy and at sea. In due time we will give them to you to read," he addressed his granddaughter.  
"But we found something else as well," he turned to Harm again. "You know, before going on a difficult and dangerous mission military men and women are used to write a letter … just in case. Diane was never in a warzone, but one day, not long before her death, we received a letter telling us …"  
He reached into his inner pocket and unfolded a piece of paper. Then he read.  
"Dear mum and dad, don't think this is a letter of goodbye. I'm not planning on dying; there is still so much I want to do. But a group of us will go on a dangerous mission tonight and that makes you think. If, God forbid, something happens to me, please tell Harm how much I enjoyed his letters over these years. They helped me through many bleak days. He is such a good friend. Maybe one day we decide to bring our relation to the next level, maybe not, but then he will still be one of my best friends. I feel we can talk about everything. There is one thing, though, I haven't told him and that is that I had a baby, once. I don't know why; I certainly didn't want to hide it from him, but the subject never came up. You can't say out of the blue: hey, when I was fifteen I was raped and when I was sixteen I had a baby girl which I gave up for adoption. Promise me you will tell him I wanted him to know; I just didn't know how to tell him. He and I have a date scheduled when I'm back from this trip. I want to tell him then; if we decide to start a relation there should be complete openness between us. Well, enough about the bleak stuff, I want to tell you about the party …"  
He stopped reading. "The rest is about her life at that moment and is not of any importance right now," he explained.  
Harm gritted his teeth; he was not going to show how much he was affected by his friend's words. Suddenly he stood and strode out of the house. With an apologizing look to the Schonkes Mac followed him. She found him in the yard, fighting his tears, and wrapped her arms around him. Silently he pulled her close. Mac let him take his time until he heaved a sigh.  
"It's not a shame to have emotions," she softly said.  
"I know; it just was so unexpected."  
She lifted her head to place a soft kiss on his mouth. "I know," she soothed  
"I still feel like I had let her down," he sighed.  
"I know." Mac remembered their conversation a few weeks back. "But you didn't and now you know for sure."  
He heaved another sigh and nodded.  
"And now you are honouring her memory by helping her daughter,' Mac went on.  
"I miss her," he whispered hoarsely. Mac didn't know better that to hold him tight and he buried his face into her hair.  
It took him some time, but then he lifted his head again. His gaze on her was steady and his voice was very serious.  
"Sarah, I love you, _you_ , do you understand? I don't want you to think you're a kind of ... substitute, for you are _not_! You're your unique self and I love _you_!"  
She felt a lump in her throat.  
"I know," she whispered. Her hands caressed his face. "And you loved Diane. You shouldn't feel bad about that. She loved you, too, and she would have wanted you to be happy."  
He nodded, knowing she was right.  
"Thank you for being so understanding," he said.  
They went inside again, where the others have been waiting for them.  
"I'm sorry," Harm apologized, but his words were waved away.  
"Don't. You loved Diane and we know how confronting it can be hearing from someone who passed away. Like a message from beyond the grave."  
Harm's throat was too tight to answer.  
The man went on "There is something else I want you to know, too. The first time you brought Lacey here she requested you leave the room for a moment. I want to tell you it was only out of consideration for you. Lacey wanted to know whether we were happy with you and Mac taking her under your wings and if we were comfortable with meeting Mac, knowing she looks so much like Diane. She wanted us to be able to answer freely. We told her, and we tell you now we are very happy with you taking so much care and your efforts in reuniting us. Although it was a shock to see Mac in the flesh, as must have been for you when you met her the first time, she is very welcome in our home."  
Mrs Schonke stood and walked over to give Harm a hug and Mr Schonke firmly gripped his shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5 - Meeting II

**Meeting II  
**  
 _Two weeks later  
South Washington  
In a café  
_Four people were sitting around a corner table, a bit out of sight and hearing of other customers.  
Two of them were Lacey and Harm, the other two father and son Pachner. It was the long expected and dreaded first meeting between father and daughter and tension was palpable. Jeffery was speaking.  
"Whatever you can and will say to me, I already said it to myself. In that one moment of sheer stupidity I took your mother's youth, her sense of safety, her dreams, her future. From that moment on, I not only had to live with the knowledge I was capable of rape, that I actually raped a girl, but I also destroyed a lifetime friendship."  
And at Lacey's surprised look "Yes, we had been friends from day-care."  
"But why?" the girl whispered, shocked by the man's outburst.  
"Because I thought she wanted it, too."  
When Lacey was ready to flare up, he raised his hand once more.  
"I know. _Now_ I know. But back then … you have to know we dated. We made out. We made out that night. Making love was the only step we hadn't taken and that night I had one to many. _Not_ an excuse, I know, but that's how it was. When I was sober the next day …" he shook his head. "It took a while to realise she was avoiding me, then some longer to see what had happened. What I had done. I wanted to beg for forgiveness, but she didn't want to see me, not ever again and I couldn't blame her. It didn't take long before my parents realized something was wrong and even less to find out what. They were ready to inform Diane's parents, but she was adamant she didn't want that. She wanted to forget and was terrified anyone would know."  
"So your folks knew she was pregnant before my grandparents knew?"  
"No, my parents knew I assaulted her before your grandparents knew. They only learned about the pregnancy when the Schonkes found out. That's when they came to my parents. Despite being willing to take the baby in, as were Mr and Mrs Schonke, our respective parents decided that they would go along with Diane's wish give the baby up for adoption. My parents decided to pay for all her counselling and medical bills. In return my name would be on the birth certificate. You must know that. You found us."  
Now Harm stepped in. "On the copies of the papers Lacy had, your and Diana's name were blacked out. Only the name of the lawyers firm was visible, but since there was no indication in what state the adoption was arranged Lacey had very little to go on."  
"But how did she find you?" a flabbergasted Jeffrey wanted to know.  
"My fiancé Mac is a spitting image of Diane and as you can see, Lacey takes very much after her mother. A friend of Lacey's is in the military, too, and she saw Mac once. She found out who Mac was and directed Lacey to her. We knew Mac hadn't had any children and a DNA test confirmed Lacey was not Mac's daughter. It was then that I contacted Mr and Mrs Schonke."  
Jeffrey nodded shortly. Now his father had something to say.  
"Of course we were very shocked when we learned what had happened. It not only destroyed the friendship between Jeffrey and Diane, also our friendship with Ted and Caryn Schonke was very strained from that moment on. A few months later the company I worked for needed someone to move to Missouri and I volunteered. Ted kept in touch during the pregnancy and informed us it was a girl. He sent a copy of the birth certificate to prove your name," he nodded at his son, "was on it. We exchanged some Christmas cards, but over the years the contact faded. There is one thing I want to say in defence of my son, though. Not to excuse his behaviour that night, but when he realized what he had done, he tried to make amends. He tried to speak to your mother and ask for forgiveness. I don't blame her for not wanting to talk to him, but he tried. You might know your grandparents were struggling financially at that time. As Jeffrey already told you, we paid for your mother's counselling and medical bills, but Jeffrey did as well. Back then he had a part-time job at a shop. Half of his money went into his college fund, half of it was his, to do with as he pleased. After we knew of your pregnancy that half was used to pay the bills, too."  
He heaved a sigh. "I know your mum's decision not to press charges had more to do with herself than with my son, but I'm forever grateful she didn't go to the police. He can live a decent life and is not on the sex-offenders list."  
Harm nodded neutrally, but there was something in his eyes that had the father on alert.  
"You already knew. You did a back ground search on my son!"  
"Yes," Harm confirmed.  
For a second it looked like Mr Pachner was about to get angry, but then he sank back in his chair.  
"I guess I would have done the same thing," he admitted. "Would you have agreed on a meeting, had my son turned up in your search?"  
"Depends on what he had done. But yeah, if he had turned up in relation to a sex crime, I would have recommended strongly against it."  
"Jeffrey is a good kid," his father proclaimed. "He made a terrible mistake back then, but since then he did us proud."  
Lacey changed the subject.  
"Can you tell me a bit about your life and your family?" she requested.  
Jeffrey looked pleasantly surprised.  
"I am thirty-seven now. After we moved I finished high school and went to college. It was then that my parents moved back north, to Ohio. I studied engineering and now I have job in a technical firm as a planner. I met my wife Petra on a job and married her almost eleven years ago. We live in a suburb of Portage Lakes, only a few blocks from my parent's house and we have two children. Timothy is nine and Diane is seven."  
Lacey gasped.  
"Yes, I called her after Diane. Somehow I felt I owed her that."  
"Do they know I exist?"  
"Petra does. I told her a few weeks before I proposed. I wanted her to know what she was in for, had you ever decided to go and look for your birthparents. She also knows about your search and this meeting. The kids don't. We'll tell them when you decide you want to meet them, or when they are old enough to understand. We don't want to tell them I raped Diane, not if we don't have to. I hope you will understand?" He looked pleadingly at Lacey.  
'Did your daughter ever ask why she is called Diane?"  
"She did and I told her she was named after a childhood friend of mine. She doesn't think anything of it. Timothy isn't a family name either."  
The waitress came with a second round of coffee.  
"The children go to school and are doing well. Tim likes baseball and is in Little League. Diane loves to play outside. She is a bit of a tomboy, likes to get dirty and climb trees and so. I built her a treehouse and she is frequently in there with her friends. Petra loves to cook, especially outdoors. We live more or less in the garden during summer, weather permitting that is. I like to work on bikes and you could call me the unofficial neighbourhood's bike mechanic. I also repair toys, especially mechanical ones. I collect them, too."  
He looked whether she wanted him to go on, but she concentrated on stirring her coffee. The conversation faded for a while. Finally she looked up again.  
"If you and my mum had … in a normal way?"  
"You mean, if you had been conceived during consensual sex?"  
"Yes. Would you … what had happened then?"  
Jeffrey blew out a breath, puffing out his cheeks.  
"I asked myself that question, too. I think we would have been in shock, first doing nothing and hoping it wasn't true or was going away, you know, the typical adolescent reaction. It would have taken us a while to come clean to our parents. But I knew they would have helped us. I don't think they would have agreed in having Diane and me marrying, after all we were only fifteen and seventeen years old. But they would have made sure we both felt responsible for you. I guess either I would have moved in with the Schonkes or Diane with us so we could take care of you together."  
"And your relationschip?"  
"Do you mean, would our relationship have sustained?"  
"Yes.  
"I don't know. As I said, we were very young and lots of teenager relations don't hold. But I would always have been your dad."  
He drained his now cold coffee and placed his cup back on the saucer with a clunk.  
"Our, Diane's and my baby, you …" He hesitated, not sure how to formulate this.  
"We are talking about you and me, my parents and your grandparents. But you have two sets of grandparents, the Schonkes and the Pachners. Like Mr and Mrs Schonke, my parents were prepared to raise you as their own and like them, and me, they always wondered what had become of you. You're their flesh and blood, too."  
After his outburst it was silent. Harm and Mr Pachner didn't know what to say neither. Luckily the waitress came to collect the empty cups and asked whether they needed anything more.  
Harm thanked her and looked at the others.  
"What do you think? Shall we end this meeting?"  
By now Lacey looked like she was ready to call it a day, but Jeffrey had one bombshell more to drop. He reached for his inner pocket and produced an envelope.  
"Did you know there are agencies that bring adopted children and their birthparents together?" he asked.  
"No, I didn't."  
"A child or a parent can give their name and contact information and as many details regarding the adoption as they know. Those agencies don't go out and search actively, but as soon there is a match both child and parent or parents are notified."  
"I didn't know they existed. So all I should have done is leave my details and pay the fee?"  
"Yes. But there are several agencies and they don't share information. And both child and parent have to subscribe. About five years ago Diane sent me this. It came out of the blue and it had no return address on it so I couldn't answer. I also don't know how she knew my address. I think you should read it."  
With trembling fingers Lacey pulled the letter out of the envelope.  
"Hallo Jeffrey," the letter started. "Lately I thought a lot about the child I gave up for adoption, your and my daughter. She is fourteen now and at an age she might want to go looking for her birthparents. This is to inform you I subscribed to several agencies which help adopted children find their birthparents. I gave my name and contact data and yours. This letter is to notify you so you will be prepared in case she contacts you. The agencies are …" There was a list of six websites.  
Lacey read the short note over and over. Finally she looked up. "She wanted me to find her," she whispered, her eyes full of tears. "She wanted me to find her."  
"Yes," Jeffrey confirmed. "She wanted you to find her. And I am so sorry it wasn't to be."  
Abruptly Lacey stood and almost ran out of the restaurant. With a quick glance at the other men Harm followed her.  
He found her at the far end of the parking lot, the letter clutched to her chest, her shoulders shaking. Tentatively he approached her, not knowing for sure what to do. But when Lacey was aware of his presence, she turned around and flung herself into his arms and he knew nothing better than to hold the sobbing girl close.  
It took her a while to calm down, but then she pulled back, a bit embarrassed.  
Harm thought it best not to comment; instead he asked "Want to come back inside?" Lacey nodded and followed him back in. In the hallway she spotted the ladies restroom and with an apologising look at Harm she slipped in. Harm walked back to their table  
"How is she?" Mr Pachner wanted to know.  
"Shaken. It's a lot to take in."  
Both men nodded.  
"I know, " Jeffrey said. "I don't know if she wants to talk to us anymore, but if not, will you tell her we understand this is an emotional and stressful meeting for her and that we accept she needs time to process this. We hope she will contact us again, but we will wait till she is ready."  
By now Lacey walked into the room again. A bit shy she neared, embarrassed about her behaviour. Mr Pachner gave her warm and reassuring smile.  
"Don't feel bad. We just told Harm we understand this is an emotional and stressful meeting for you and you need time to process this."  
Biting her lower lip Lacey nodded.  
"I think we should end this meeting," the older man went on. "Unless you have still something to tell or ask us, of course."  
Silently Lacey shook her head.  
"We hope you will stay in touch, but that's all up to you. You know where to find us," Jeffrey stated.  
A short nod was her response. She reached out to give him the letter back, but he shook his head. "You can keep it. It means a lot to you and I don't need it anymore. Anyway, I made a copy. Shall I notify those agencies their services are no longer required?"  
"Yes, please," Lacey said in small voice.  
"I like to have a word with you, Harm, if that's possible," Mr Pachner said.  
Seeing the girl was at the end of her endurance, Harm suggested "Why don't you sit in the car? I won't be long." He handed her the keys and after shaking hands she all but fled the room.  
"I want to tell you how very grateful I am, how very grateful _we_ are you and your wife took care of our granddaughter. Over the years we thought a lot about her. We don't know if Lacey wants to stay in touch, but …"  
"I think she will, but give her some time," Harm interrupted.  
Mr Pachner smiled. "That's good to hear, that you think she will. But I wanted to ask you, can you keep us informed? Without breaking any confidence, of course. Just to let us know she is all right. This meeting was hard on her, I am worried …"  
"Me and my wife will keep an eye on her and so will her grandparents. But I will let you know, just the basics."  
"Thanks." The man heaved a sigh of relief. Now they said their goodbyes and Harm hastened to his car.

As expected, Lacey was very silent during the trip back to her grandparents' home. It was only when he drove into the driveway and stopped, she seemed to realize where she was. Harm stepped out of the car and helped her out as well. He walked her to the door where her concerned grandparents were already waiting and gave them a reassuring smile.  
"The meeting went well and I'm sure Lacey will tell you about it one of these days. She is just very tired now."  
Mrs Schonke wrapped an arm around her granddaughter and took her inside. In the meantime  
Mr Schonke expressed his gratitude for going with his granddaughter at this for her so important meeting.

"You don't need to thank me. In a way I feel I owe it to Diane. I wasn't there for her when she was alive and …"  
"Do _not_ go there," Mr Schonke ordered him "You _were_ there for her, when she was alive. We have her letters to prove it. It's not your fault she never came to tell you she had a daughter. You and Mac have been so helpful, nice and caring to Lacey; she couldn't have wished for better. And neither could we. Do not blame yourself, not for anything, do you understand me!"  
"Yes, Sir." Harm rolled his shoulders; it had been a long day for him, too.  
"You better go home now, to your girlfriend," Mr Schonke told him. "We'll stay in touch and we'll see you at the wedding."  
Harm couldn't supress a smile at the thought of that upcoming event.  
"Yes," he said. "Mac or I'll call later this week to find out how Lacey is doing."  
They shook hands once more and then Harm was off.


	6. Chapter 6 - Harm and Mac

**Mac and Harm  
**  
 _Two weeks later  
Outside the church  
_The day was as bright as a day could ever be. But had the rain poured down and had lightning torn the sky, it was doubtful whether Harm and Mac would have noticed it. After all, it was a day they had looked forward to for a long time. It was their wedding day.  
Only ten minutes ago the minister, Reverend Turner, had spoken the liberating words "I now declare you husband and wife" and they had shared their first kiss as a married couple.  
Now it was the well-wishers' turn and there were quite a few. Among the first were of course Harm's mother, stepfather and grandmother. They welcomed Mac in the family like she was a long-lost daughter and Mac couldn't help tearing up at the eagerness, love and joy they showed.  
Next there were their friends and co-workers, all adding a few well-chosen words. The Admiral grinned from ear to ear and that was so rare, both Mac and Harm had to look a second time to make sure their eyes weren't deceiving them.  
At the end of the line three people showed up and Mac nudged Harm when she saw them.  
"Mr and Mrs Schonke, Lacey, how nice of you to come."  
"We wouldn't have missed it for the world," Mrs Schonke told them. "We will for ever be grateful that you gave us our granddaughter back."  
She reached inside her large bag.  
"I know you will have a reception in an hour, but unfortunately we won't be able to attend."  
"My cousin's first son will be baptized later this day and I am one of the Godparents," her husband explained. "It will be a kind of family reunion, and an opportunity to introduce Lacey to some family members she has yet to meet."  
"So I hope you don't mind when I give you this already," Mrs Schonke went on. She produced a somewhat floppy package and handed it over to Mac. There was a tension in her eyes that had Mac on alert and she realized this was not just a nice gift. Handing her bouquet to Harm she started to unwrap it carefully. Out came a beautiful embroidered tablecloth. At first Mac didn't know what to say. "It's splendid," she finally sighed. "You must have worked hours and hours on it."  
"I did," the elderly woman confirmed. "I …" She swallowed. "I started working on it years ago. In our family it's tradition that the mothers make a tablecloth for their daughters, as a wedding gift. It is used on the table at the banquet. I made it for Diane, but …" For a moment emotions threatened to overwhelm her, but then she pulled herself together. "It was not going to be, and now I want you to have it."  
Mac knew all words would be inadequate; instead she pulled the other woman in a warm hug.  
"Thank you so much."  
Harm kissed the woman who once might have become his mother-in-law on the cheek and held her close for a moment.  
"Thank you," he said, too. His voice sounded hoarse. He looked at Lacey; wouldn't she be disappointed? After all, it was a bit of her mother's legacy.  
Mrs Schonke saw his look.  
"Don't worry. Lacey and I discussed it and she is fine with it. I'm working on another one, for her to have one day, when she marries."  
Next to her her husband cleared his throat, both because of his own emotions as to draw his wife's attention.  
"Sweetheart, we have to go. We have a plane to catch."  
His wife nodded. Mr Schonke shook hands, his wife and granddaughter gave Harm and Mac another hug and off they were. _  
_

 _A year later  
Rabb-MacKenzie Residence_  
 _Afternoon  
_ It was almost four o'clock and downstairs cups and saucers, pie plates and of course tea and pie awaited the guests to come.  
Upstairs Mac just finished changing little Matthew Harmon Rabb's diapers, while Harm looked at his family with the smile that hadn't left his face since he had brought Mac and his son back from the hospital, three weeks earlier.  
The baby lying in a breech position, the delivery had been very hard on Mac and, still a bit wobbly on her legs, she preferred Harm to carry their precious bundle of joy downstairs. She smiled; in a few minutes Lacey and her grandparents would arrive to admire their little boy.  
And there, right on time, they were. Hugs and greetings were exchanged and Harm ushered everyone into the living.  
"My, you look good," Mac said, looking at Lacey.  
The girl smiled confidently. "I feel good, too. I'll tell you later. First I want to see the baby."  
Her grandparents nodded their agreement and as a proud father Harm led them to the corner where his baby son was dozing in his bassinette. He flipped back the little blanket a bit so they could see better.  
"He is so cute," Lacey sighed, caressing a little cheek, and her grandparents agreed wholeheartedly.  
Harm tucked the baby in again and invited them to sit. While he busied himself with the tea and pie, Mac answered Mrs Schonke's and Lacey's questions. After that she asked how Lacey was doing.  
"I'm fine. I started college again last September and I just got word I passed my first test. Me and Marylyn are roommates again, although in a different apartment. A bit larger." She smiled at her grandparents.  
"I bought an apartment for her. That is, she and Marylyn rent it from me," her grandfather explained. We were not entirely happy with the neighbourhood they lived in. I know you never have guarantees nothing will happen, but you don't have to look for problems."  
"And I have a ... well, I met someone I like very much." Lacey blushed.  
"Do tell," Mac urged.  
"His name is Brent and he is in his third year. He studies law. He is two years older than I." She grabbled in her purse and produced a photo of a blond young man, with a pleasant, yet bit irregular face. He smile broadly into the camera.  
"He looks very nice," Mac commented.  
"He is," Lacey nodded.  
"And your dad? And Jeff and Petra? Do you still keep in contact?"  
"My dad is happy I restarted my study. He likes Brent. He is fine with me having my grandparents around, and still a bit apprehensive about me and my birthfather," Lacey told. "And Jeff and Petra, yes. We keep in contact. We call regularly and I visited them a few times. In fact, I was there last week, during the weekend."  
"How do Timothy and Diane take it, having a big sister coming out of nowhere?"  
"No problem. They accepted the explanation Jeff gave, that he and Diane had a baby, but were too young to take care of it. Diane is elated to have a big sister. We get along very well and she constantly wants to do things together. Timothy, well, he needed a bit more time to get used to the idea and he is a boy. But he likes to play baseball with me and last time we had a nice outing to the museum."  
She bent over to grab her bag.  
"In fact, they gave me something for you, too." She handed Harm a large rectangular package, wrapped in blue paper, tied together with an equally blue ribbon.  
Harm removed the bow, folded the paper away and found a box and an envelope. The envelope contained a card, signed by Jeff and Petra, as well by Tim and Diane. There was also a letter from Jeff and pictures drawn by the children. The box contained a little steam engine with several accessories like a little saw, a hammer and a drill. Harm grinned. He knew Matthew would love it when he was older.  
"I make sure to call and thank them," he promised.  
Matthew started to fuss and Mac took him out of his bassinette. She caught Mrs Schonke's longing look and handed the little baby over to her. The elderly lady gently rocked the little boy, but after a while it wasn't enough. Matthew wanted his afternoon snack and didn't hesitate to make that known to the world. With an apologizing smile Mac took him again and disappeared into the study where they had set up a nursing unit.  
Harm poured a second round of tea and the conversation became more general. After twenty minutes Mac came back, a now well-fed and satisfied baby in her arms.  
"He needs a diaper change and then I will lay him in his crib," she announced.  
"Can we see the baby room?" Lacey asked and Mac nodded. Leading the way she took both women upstairs. In the meantime Mr Schonke sat with Harm.  
"Harmon, you're a lucky man."  
"I know," Harm agreed. He sensed there was more to it. Mr Schonke lifted his head, listening whether the women came downstairs already.  
"Why don't we sit in the study?" Harm suggested. He sensed the man wanted a heart to heart in private.  
And he was right. As soon as they were seated, Mr Schonke started to speak.  
"Harmon, please hear me out before you react." He waited for Harm to nod before going on. It was clear he had rehearsed his speech. "We, my wife and I always liked you. You were good for our daughter and she benefited a lot from your friendship. We don't know whether you and Diane would have become an item. Seeing you and Mac together, we see a chemistry you didn't have with Diane, but I'm sure the two of you would have stayed good friends."  
Harm listened intensely, but had no idea where this was heading to.  
"Over the years you stayed in touch and we appreciated that. It meant a lot to us that Diane was not forgotten. Then came Lacey and you handled it so well. Not only by contacting us, but also by all the care you and your wife bestowed on her. You gave us back our granddaughter. Caryn and I talked about what to give you for your son's birth." He reached into his inner pocket and came up with an envelope, which he handed over to Harm.  
A bit surprised Harm took it and, when his guest gestured him to proceed, tore it open. Inside he found a legal paper, telling him there was a trust fund set up for the study of Matthew Harmon Rabb, of $20.000.  
Harm gasped; he was stunned.  
"Let me tell you some more," the older man continued. "It's something Lacey told us just recently. She is okay with me telling this and you're free to share it with Mac, but we trust you won't speak about it with others."  
"You have my word," Harm said. He still didn't get it and was curious to learn where this was heading to.  
"First you have to know it's not only our money; the Pachners, both senior and Jeff and Petra and Lacey's father also chipped in. Don't worry; we all can afford it."  
He wetted his lips.  
"A few days before Matthew was born Lacey had us sit down, telling she had something to confess. You know in what state she was when she thought Mac was her mother and how devastated she was when it turned out not to be. She was an easy target at that moment, a target to one of her fellow students."  
Harm tensed. "He harassed her?"  
"No, he offered her some release of the pain, or so she thought."  
"Drugs," Harm was quick to understand.  
"Yes, a little pill and for a few hours she was oblivious to the pain. He waited a few days before approaching her again. That was the weekend you told her about Diane. Had it not been for Mac keeping her at your place, she surely would have taken another pill or two." He rubbed his hand over his face.  
"Anyhow, over the last year there have been a few od's; two kids died as result of it and several others were saved in the nick of time. The last one was a few weeks ago and that was when Lacey remembered the pills offered to her. They were still in her spare toiletries bag. She talked to us and we decided it was best she would go to the police. She did and as a result they arrested the boy. Yesterday we got word they rounded up the production line. It turns out it was a potent homemade semi-crack stuff." He took a deep breath.  
"So you see, you didn't only give us out granddaughter back, you saved Lacey's life or at least, you saved her from getting hooked. And a lot of other kids, too"  
Harm was shocked to the core and didn't know what to say. "Wow," he uttered after a while. "I didn't know …"  
"You don't need to say anything," Mr Schonke told him. "We just wanted you to know."  
Silently Harm reached out and the two men shook hands.  
From the living came sounds; the women were back. Mr Schonke nodded at the envelope Harm was still clutching.  
"Put that in a safe place and let's join the women."  
Harm did as suggested and they found Mrs Schonke on the couch, chatting with Lacey, while Mac poured a fresh round of coffee. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Harm, instantly noticed something had really shocked him. Harm gave her a reassuring smile. He walked over to her to give her a peck on the cheek and whispered into her ear "Everything is all right; I'll tell you later." 

After another half hour of cheerful conversation the guests left, with promises to come back soon. Harm brought the cups and saucers to the kitchen and popped a dish of lasagne into the oven.  
Mac went to check on Matthew and when she had made sure he was fine, she sat on the couch and called Harm to her.  
"Sit down and spit," she all but ordered. And Harm did. As he had been earlier, Mac was shocked to the core.  
"I didn't know how to refuse," Harm ended.  
"No," Mac agreed. "I don't think there was a polite way to do that." She scooted closer and laid her head on his shoulder.  
"I'm glad we could help. And that it brought closure for you, too."  
Harm nodded his agreement.  
"So the money?"  
"Goes to Matthew for his study, as Mr Schonke said. We didn't do it for the money; we won't touch it. Maybe we can talk about it with him later. Mr Schonke, I mean."  
"We can, but I strongly doubt whether he will change his mind," Harm voiced his opinion.  
Mac nodded. The oven clock ding-donged and Harm rose to fill two plates.  
Coming back he first gave his wife a kiss before handing her a plate.  
"All's well, that ends well," he said and looking around in their cosy home, photos of their new-born at the wall, the love of her life sitting next to her, she couldn't agree more. 

The end


End file.
